


The Phoenix Queen

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Extremis AU Pepper, F/F, Fantasy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 19:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6127971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha didn't realize that Queen Virginia's title was literal. </p><p>For tumblr user gabzogbi, in fuckyeahblackpepper's Femslash February Exchange .</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Phoenix Queen

Killing the Queen was going to be easy, and Natasha was an instant away from finishing her mission. What she did not expect, however, was that the Queen would burst into flames. As soon as Natasha’s knife came within an inch of the unsuspecting queen’s neck, fire roared to life, and Natasha stumbled backward, completely blowing her cover. 

The Queen whirled around to face her, and all Natasha saw was a woman on fire, something she never thought could terrify her so much. All she was aware of was fear for her own life, and a constant stream of  _ You failed, you failed, you failed  _ in her own mind. She knew she needed to escape, but what was waiting for her might be even worse than being set on fire. The Red Room would not be happy that she had failed, and she didn’t know what would happen to her.

So Natasha froze, expecting the woman to end her life. She knew she couldn’t fight back against fire. 

To her surprise, however, the fire died away, leaving a horrified woman in its place, her dress singed and charred. Amazingly, the rest of her was in tact, and Natasha cursed inwardly. The Red Room  _ would _ assign her to someone who could use magic, just to test her potential. And even if it had been a test, she would be punished for failing anyway. 

“I almost killed you.” The first words out of the woman’s mouth surprised Natasha. She thought that instead, they would be  _ You almost killed me! _ The only reason Natasha hadn’t fled yet was her fear of the Red Room. Maybe being locked in a dungeon here would be better than the tortures she knew the Red Room would provide. Natasha didn’t speak, but she remained frozen, waiting for the Queen’s guards to haul her off.

“Who sent you? You were supposed to kill me, weren’t you?”

Silence.

“Do you speak?”

More silence.

The Queen frowned, and Natasha waited to be handcuffed, tied up,  _ something.  _ The Red Room had told her this Queen was a tyrant, and that she needed to be taken down. The woman seemed almost  _ gentle,  _ though, which gave Natasha pause. There was no harshness that indicated tyranny, just a scared, slightly charred blonde woman. 

“I’m going to have to lock you up. I’m sorry.”

_ Who apologizes for that?  _ Natasha thought, but she kept her emotions off her face, giving the Queen an even, steely stare. She tried to remember any information the Red Room had told her that might help her size the situation up, but all she had been told was that Queen Virginia, the Phoenix Queen, was an enemy of the Red Room and a tyrant. Supposedly the Queen had earned her moniker by surviving a fire-related magical accident, but Natasha now saw it meant more than that.

“Do you understand what I’m saying? Do you speak our language?” It was unsettling how  _ concerned _ the Queen looked, and Natasha felt uncomfortable. No one was ever concerned for her wellbeing, and with good reason. She was a tool, an assassin. Not a person. 

Finally, though, Natasha nodded, but still kept her mouth shut. When the Queen called her guards to take Natasha down to a cell, she almost looked sad, and Natasha wondered why. Maybe the Queen was just silly and naive. It would be an amateur’s mistake to be compassionate to an assassin.

\-- 

Natasha was allowed to eat three decent meals every day in her cell. Now  _ that _ was new. She didn’t allow herself to relax, though. She knew that the other shoe could drop at any moment, and that this was likely preparing her for some sort of ordeal. Nothing kind came without strings. She wasn’t stupid enough to think otherwise.

When the Queen paid her a visit, it baffled her further. She stayed outside the bars, of course, but Natasha didn’t understand why the Queen actually wanted to see her again. If this was some pity fest, she would spit right in her face. Pity wasn’t for people like her.

“If you want to get out of here, I’m going to need you to talk,” the Queen said. Ah, this was something Natasha was familiar with. The other shoe was now in the air, and Natasha expected torture if she didn’t cooperate. At least this was something she was accustomed to, and not  _ kindness.  _ Natasha shook her head, wondering what the Queen had in store for her. Maybe she would light her on fire herself, until she gave in.

“I need to know who sent you,” the Queen said. “I am not stupid, contrary to popular belief. I am without a doubt that someone sent you, and I need to know who they are so we can properly defend ourselves. I imagine they’d want you back.” All right, so she wasn’t naive. Natasha still didn’t want to give her any information, though. Now that the Queen wasn’t covered in ash, Natasha noticed how beautiful she was. It was irrelevant to the situation, but she couldn’t help herself. 

“Why should I care if your kingdom can defend itself,  _ Queen _ ?” It slipped out before she could stop herself, her tone derisive. The Red Room had always chided her for her attitude problem, and she wouldn’t be surprised if it fucked her over this time too. But then again, she didn’t exactly have much to lose at this point. The Queen frowned.

“You aren’t my subject, and you aren’t obligated to call me Queen. Call me Virginia.” There she went, being baffling again. Natasha didn’t respond, but at least that sounded less high-and-mighty than Queen. 

“I imagine you might care that your handlers want you back, and since you failed, I imagine there will be a punishment. Is that right?” The Queen - no, Virginia - asked, and Natasha was beginning to wish she  _ was _ naive after all. She hated that Virginia was right, but she’d be damned if she gave the woman any information.

“Look. I want to minimize lives lost in my kingdom, and you want to survive. So logically, we should work together to fend off the people who sent you,” Virginia said, and Natasha’s gaze hardened.

“I don’t care about surviving.” Deep within her, she knew it was a lie, but she’d never let that part of her see the light of day. “I am theirs, and they will have me back. That is how it goes.” Natasha had never known anything other than being the Red Room’s possession, and she didn’t imagine that would change any time soon. She would either work for them or be killed. Those were her only options. 

Virginia looked sad, and Natasha hated it. Pity made her feel ill, and she wished Virginia wouldn’t look at her like that. 

“Well, I can’t force you to cooperate right now, so I’m going to do what I can by myself to fend off the people who sent you,” Virginia said, and Natasha frowned in confusion. Of course she could force her. Hadn’t this queen heard of torture before? This had to be a trick.

“In the meantime, you’re going to stay a captive here. You’ll be fed and housed, but you won’t have any chance of escaping until you agree to cooperate. Understood?” Natasha didn’t want to stay here forever, but it was a pretty good deal right now. Food and shelter were always scarce in her life, and if this woman was going to be stupid enough to offer them, she was going to take advantage of it until circumstances changed. 

“Fine.” Natasha’s voice was stiff, and she didn’t think Virginia. Virginia’s expression was almost  _ soft _ as she looked at her, and it made Natasha squirm.

_ Amateur mistakes. She must be a new queen.  _

\-- 

The other shoe continued to not drop, and the longer that lasted, the more nervous Natasha became. There  _ had _ to be another reason she was being kept captive. It seemed too suspicious that Virginia was just being nice, and she wondered what awaited her after this captive ordeal was over. She hadn’t seen Virginia in a while, and she imagined something horrible was being prepared for her. That was the only logical explanation for what she had experienced.

Finally, Virginia showed up again, and despite herself, Natasha was relieved to see a face that wasn’t a guard. It helped that Virginia was pretty, although she’d never tell her that to her face. When Virginia arrived, Natasha folded her arms, sitting in the corner of the cell. If something horrible awaited her, Natasha wasn’t going to make it easy. 

“I’m sorry, I meant to come see you earlier, but there’s been a lot of outside chaos I’ve had to deal with,” Virginia said, and Natasha frowned. Was she talking about the Red Room, or was there something else? If Virginia’s kingdom had managed to defend Natasha from the Red Room so far, color her almost impressed. 

“Why do you want to see me? More interrogation?” Natasha didn’t smile, giving Virginia a steely stare. Virginia shook her head.

“No, I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

That was an alien statement to Natasha, and she met Virginia’s gaze with a blank stare. Virginia had that  _ kind _ look on her face again, and Natasha hated it. She barely suppressed a squirm, and she hoped Virginia didn’t notice.

“I’m alive, functioning, ready for use,” Natasha said, giving Virginia her default response. Those were the only things that mattered. Virginia looked disturbed, and Natasha got a sick sense of satisfaction from it. 

“That’s not what I meant. Is the food all right? Are you sleeping okay?” Virginia asked, and Natasha let out a harsh bark of humorless laughter.

“I can see right through you, you know. Pretending to be kind isn’t going to win my favor,” Natasha said. Virginia looked a little hurt, and Natasha couldn’t tell if it was fake or not.  _ I’m losing my edge. Be more observant, Widow. _

“I may have political reasons for keeping you in here, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a decent human being.” Ah, there it was. There  _ was _ a reason, and Natasha felt a little glimmer of smugness that she was able to make Virginia tell her that. 

“Political reasons? Are you bargaining with the Red Room now?” If that was the case, Natasha’s opinion of Pepper would be permanently ruined. How dare she associate with the Red Room? Then, she realized what she was thinking.  _ I can’t be against my own handlers. They’ll punish me.  _ She tried to shove the thoughts away.

“You saw me burst into flames. If you get out, you could tell the entire kingdom. So it’s best for both your and my safety that you are kept in here. You’re safe from the Red Room under my protection, and my secret is kept safe,” Virginia said. That made Natasha’s eyes widen a little.

“You mean no one knows about that? You’re a walking matchstick and no one has any idea?” Natasha almost laughed at the absurdity of it. If Virginia wanted to talk, though, she was going to keep her talking. 

“The kingdom knows that I was involved in a fiery magical accident, but that is it. They don’t know that the magic...stuck with me, as it were.” Virginia’s gaze hardened at the mention of it, and Natasha found herself curious as to what exactly had happened to the woman. “If the public knows, they’ll deem me unfit to rule. I’d rather keep my position, as I am entirely fit to rule.” 

“So you’re never going to let me out, then,” Natasha said, folding her arms a bit tighter around herself. This wasn’t new territory. She’d just have to break out again, and she’d done it before. She found herself wondering if she actually wanted to, though. At least she got three meals a day here. 

“Not necessarily. If I come to trust you, maybe,” Virginia said. “You still haven’t answered my question, by the way.” 

“The food is fine. Sleep is irrelevant.” Natasha slipped back into a flat, emotionless tone again. To her bewilderment, Virginia opened the door briefly to slip into her cell, and if food hadn’t been on her mind, Natasha would have shoved her aside and made a break for it. Her first thought was that it was stupid of Virginia to come in here with her, but then she remembered that at any sign of attack, the woman would burst into flames in self defense. It wouldn’t be worth it to get burned that badly. 

“Why are you spending time with me? Much less  _ inside my cell _ ?” Natasha kept herself in her corner, and Virginia sat on the bench. It was an absurd sight, seeing a woman in a regal golden dress in a dingy cell with the likes of her. 

“I want to build trust, and show you that I’m not going to hurt you,” Virginia said.

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Natasha asked, and then Virginia held out her hand, conjuring a flame. So it wasn’t just out of her control. Good to know. The flame disappeared, and Virginia folded her hands in her lap. She fell silent, waiting for Virginia to continue.

“It’s in our best interests to work together, that’s all,” Virginia said. Natasha was beginning to see the logic in that, but she was too stubborn to admit it right now. She kept silent, giving Virginia a sullen look. Virginia almost looked amused, which made Natasha even crabbier. 

“Would you like some fresh air?” Virginia asked after a while, and Natasha blinked.

“You’re just going to let me walk around outside?” 

“Handcuffed to me.” 

“...ah.” Natasha was silent for a moment. That was humiliating, but being in this cell was driving her crazy, and she imagined that a queen would have private, fenced in grounds where they would be safe. 

“So is that a yes?” Virginia asked. God, Natasha was going to hate herself later.

“Yes.”

\--

Walks in the courtyard became a regular habit for Virginia and Natasha, even if Natasha was embarrassingly handcuffed to the queen. Natasha heard whispers among the queen’s staff about how strange Virginia was, but she imagined Virginia was used to it by now. To Natasha’s horror, she was starting to enjoy this. Today, spring was finally starting to get into the swing of things, and Virginia was taking her through the flower garden, showing her all the different species.

“The Red Room is from the north - are you from the north, too?” Virginia asked, and Natasha nodded. She had been letting far too much information slip to Virginia lately, but if she was honest with herself, Virginia deciding to turn on her and set her on fire was just about on par with what she would receive from the Red Room as punishment anyway. 

“I am. I was born there, and the Red Room trained me there since I was a child,” Natasha said, and Virginia looked a little uncomfortable at the mention of child assassins. Natasha had no intention of hiding what she was, though. If Virginia wanted to know about her, she was going to get the cold, hard truth. 

“Come with me,” Virginia said, beckoning for Natasha to follow, as if she had any other choice. When they arrived where Virginia was taking them, Natasha’s hand came over her mouth. It was a garden filled with flowers from the north, and she was suddenly flooded with a bittersweet sense of  _ home _ . 

“Those are beautiful, Virginia,” Natasha said quietly, praying that Virginia wouldn’t use her brief display of emotion against her. They were silent for a while, watching the flowers sway in the breeze, and then Virginia slipped her hand into Natasha’s. A few months ago, Natasha would have broken her wrist, but now, she found herself comforted by the gesture.  _ What is going on with me?  _

“Do you promise you won’t run away?” Virginia asked finally, and Natasha bit back a snappy retort. She could promise anything to the moon and back, and it never meant she’d keep her word. Something about Virginia made her want to keep promises, though.

“I won’t run away,” Natasha said finally, and to Natasha’s astonishment, Virginia opened the handcuffs, freeing them both. Everything in her instinct screamed for her to escape, but what was waiting for her out there? Only the Red Room, and nothing good could come of that. Her choices were the Red Room, or a strange, somehow-friendship with a queen who had taken her all the way here to show her flowers from her homeland. She decided to choose the queen.

“Thank you,” Natasha said quietly, and Virginia offered her a faint, but warm smile. They walked back to the castle together hand in hand, the handcuffs abandoned. 

\--

Natasha was transferred from her cell to some private, spartan quarters after that, and although there was that ever present worry that the other shoe was about to drop, she found herself almost content. The only word that could describe her relationship with Virginia now was friendship, and Natasha didn’t exactly know what to do, as she had never had friends before. Selfishly, she found herself wanting more, although she kept it to herself. 

Natasha knew Virginia’s forces were defending the kingdom from the Red Room, and she was frankly amazed the Red Room hadn’t broken in yet. She supposed she had given Virginia less credit than she deserved. She really was a competent queen. It still made her uneasy that they hadn’t struck yet, though, and she wondered when they were finally going to drag her away. She had basically deserted them, and if she wasn’t killed, she would be tortured until her body nearly gave out. She shuddered, trying not to think about it.

“Natasha?” Virginia’s voice brought her out of her reverie. The two of them were sitting in Virginia’s study having tea. It seemed a little absurd that Virginia wanted to have tea with her would-be-assassin, but Natasha supposed a lot of things had changed since then.

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought,” Natasha said, turning her gaze back to Virginia. She could see why they called her the Phoenix Queen now, even without the knowledge of her fire powers. She was radiant. Virginia seemed to catch her staring, and she blushed, looking away. Natasha felt her face color a little as well, but neither of them wanted to address what was happening between them. 

Natasha didn’t have too much time to think about it, though. Someone abruptly crashed through the window beside them, breaking the glass and sending the entire room into chaos. Natasha immediately fell into her fighting stance, feeling a sick chill when she realized who it was. 

“Our pride and joy couldn’t even get a simple job done. I see you’ve fallen into bed with the queen now,” one of the Red Room goons said, and Natasha bristled. She didn’t have a chance to reply before the men had lunged at her, and she abandoned all emotions to slip into fighting mode, knowing that this would be a fight for her life. She vaguely registered Virginia’s screams, and she did everything she could to keep the men away from the queen. She realized she cared much more if any of them hurt Virginia, and hardly cared about her own welbeing. 

_ I’ve become your bodyguard, haven’t I?  _

Despite her skill, however, Natasha was outnumbered, and one of the men snapped her arms behind her back, tying them together. Natasha screamed as she felt one of her shoulders dislocate, and all she could do now was bite and kick at her assailants. 

“Let her  _ go _ !” 

Natasha twisted her head around to see Virginia, and felt a bizarre mix of pride and terror. The woman was completely on fire, and suddenly everyone in the room was very aware that Virginia could decimate the entire building if she wanted to. Virginia sent a stream of fire at the man holding her captive, and Natasha felt it catch in her hair as it whizzed by. The man howled in pain, letting Natasha go, and Natasha stumbled forward, feeling the lower half of her long hair begin to burn away. 

Now all of the men were on fire, and Virginia had cornered them against the open window, leaving a trail of fire on the carpet where she walked. With an incredible blast of flame, she pushed all three of them out of the window, and they fell to the ground with a sickening crack. There was no way they could have survived that, and Natasha felt numb watching it. 

Then she realized her hair was still on fire, and she ran to one of the faucets, dousing what was left of it, leaving a charred bob in place of her long tresses. 

“Oh my god, that was really violent.” Virginia broke the silence, the fire fading away from her body. She looked like she might fall over, and Natasha rushed to her side, stamping out the fire in the carpet as she went. 

“You didn’t have to do that for me,” Natasha said, steadying the other woman. Virginia was incredibly warm to the touch, but not so hot that Natasha would get burned. She had no idea how she was supposed to repay Virginia for this, and the idea of owing such a powerful queen didn’t sit well with her. 

In answer, Virginia kissed her, her lips as hot as the tea they had been drinking. Now it was Natasha who felt like she was going to fall over. When the kiss broke, she blinked in shock, still holding onto Virginia. 

“I couldn’t lose you. I’m sorry,” Virginia said, looking mortified, and Natasha took her hand, trying to keep her from running away out of embarrassment. 

“No one’s ever protected me before,” Natasha said, looking up at the taller woman. Virginia looked down at their entwined hands, seeming a little relieved. 

“Isn’t it about time, then?” 

\--

Virginia’s would-be-assassin became her most trusted bodyguard, and Natasha stayed like that for many years. Those years weren’t without the occasional altercation from the Red Room, but both of them survived, their teamwork becoming even more formidable every time. Virginia was a master at controlling her fire now, and Natasha had learned to fight among streams of flames, her agility unparalleled. 

Aside from self defense, however, Natasha hardly cared about her skill anymore. Her skills were for protecting Virginia, and that was all she wanted to do. She had made a lovely little life with the queen, and it still floored her that this had happened to her at all. Kindness hadn’t been an amateur’s mistake after all. 

“Virginia, can you come here for a minute?” Natasha said one day. Virginia was reading, and Natasha had been attempting to read, but she was too distracted by a heavy little box in her pocket. Virginia set down her book, approaching Natasha. Natasha felt a wave of nerves, but forced herself down on one knee, fishing out the box from her pocket. She opened it to reveal a diamond ring, interlaid with rubies and orange topaz. 

“Will you marry me?” Natasha barely managed to get the words out, and from Virginia’s face, she knew what Natasha was asking before she even finished the sentence. In a rush of emotion, the woman before her promptly burst into cherry red flame. 

“Yes, absolutely - oh my god, sorry!” The last sentence came out a squeak, and Virginia forced the fire to subside. She looked down at the wooden floor, now charred under her feet. “I guess we’ll always remember where this happened, won’t we?” Natasha laughed, standing up. 

“Let’s leave it there, just this once.” She pulled Pepper into a kiss, feeling a rush of warmth in her heart as warm as the queen herself. 

“All right. Just this once.” 


End file.
